PAPERS · AIUTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Standards of Education among U3as and the Intergenerational Formation BARCELONA - 29th JUNE 2018 Organized by: With the collaboration of: Sponsored by: AIUTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE · Standards of Education among U3as and the Intergenerational Formatio · BARCELONA - 29th JUNE 2018 Index The Quality of Education Provided by UK U3A p 02 Melanie Nash. Member of U3A South Leicestershire –UK Age Trust ( United Kingdom) Educational Standards of the University for The Elderly p 05 Xiong Fangjie. Executive Vice President of the Shanghai University for The Elderly (China) Using Technology to Motivate Senior Students in Second Language (L2) Learning p 09 Dr. Concepción Bru Ronda & Prof. José Belda-Medina. University of Alicante (UPUA) (Spain) The Promise of Geragogy: Ensuring Quality Standards for Older Adult Learning p 13 Prof. Marvin Formosa. Head, Department of Gerontology. Director, University of the Third Age (Malta) Les Critères et Balises en Vigueur à l’Université du Troisième Age de Sheerbrooke p 18 Monique Harvey, Ph. D. Directrice de l’UTA. Université de Sherbrooke (Québec, Canada) Education of Older People. Education Towards, For and In Old Age p 22 Małgorzata Stanowska. Member of the Commission of Experts for Elderly People at the Human Rights Defender. Director of the University of the Third Age in Lublin. (Warsaw, Poland) Standards of Education for the Elderly within Romania p 28 Prof.univ.dr. Violeta Puscasu. Faculty of Legal, Social and Political Science “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati. (Romania) Catching the BALL: U3A Reykjavik, Adult Education in Iceland and Innovations for the Third Age p 29 Dr. Hans Kristján Guðmundsson. Chairman of U3A Reykjavik (Island) Los Estandares de los Programas Universitarios para Personas Mayores y el Impacto en los Diferentes Actores del Contexto Universitario: La Experiencia del PIAM. p 33 MSc. Marisol Rapso Brenes. Universidad de Costa Rica Diversity and Quality of Senior Education in the Czech Republic p 35 Prof. Ing. Roman Prokop, Phd. Tomas Bata University in Zlín (Prague, Czech Republic) Participación Social, Bienestar y Proyectos Intergeneracionales p 37 Dra. Sacramento Pinazo Hernandis. Vicepresidenta de la Sociedad Española de Geriatría y Gerontología Profesora de Psicología Social en la Universidad de Valencia (España) Envejecimiento Activo, Educación y Participación Social:Retos y Oportunidades Futuras p 43 Dra. Montserrat Celdrán Castro. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad de Barcelona. (España) * * * AIUTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE · Standards of Education among U3as and the Intergenerational Formatio · BARCELONA - 29th JUNE 2018 The Quality of Education Provided by UK U3A Melanie Nash Member of U3A South Leicestershire –UK Age Trust ( United Kingdom) Text Indicators of quality encompass participants, environment, content, learning processes and achievements. At UK U3A we ensure that members feel supported, ready to learn and participate in a number of ways. There are over 1000 local U3A organisations in the UK so a local group is easy to access. We do not require members to have formal qualifications and in return we offer none. There are opportunities to meet up with other members at monthly meetings and many of these opportunities result in offers of help with transport etc. which supports participation in U3A activities. New member events are held to welcome members and encourage them to try out different groups to find the ‘best fit’ for them. Members are also encouraged and supported to start a new interest/study group if there is sufficient support from the membership. U3A UK is governed by three overarching principles: The Third Age Principle states that membership of the a U3A is open to all in their third age which is defined not by a particular age, but by a period in life in which full-time employment has ceased. It requires members to promote the values of lifelong learning and the positive attributes of belonging to a U3A. Members are also expected to be proactive in ensuring that people who want to join are supported to do so. The Self-help Principle promotes self-generation where members form the interest/study groups based on their desires – ‘By the members, for the members’. The aim of these groups is to provide enjoyment in learning for its own sake rather than for a qualification. There is also equality between learners and teachers as they are all members – ‘Teachers learn, and learners teach’. 2 AIUTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE · Standards of Education among U3as and the Intergenerational Formatio · BARCELONA - 29th JUNE 2018 The Mutual Aid Principle promotes independence with each U3A being set up as a mutual aid organisation which is operationally independent but is also a member of the Third Age Trust which requires them to adhere to the principles of the U3A movement. The organisation is voluntary with no payments made to members for services to any U3A. Each U3A runs on a low-cost basis and is self- funded by membership subscriptions. They are also self-supporting and can only seek outside financial assistance that does not imperil the integrity of the U3A movement. A welcoming environment is ensured by using non-threatening venues such as church and village halls in local communities. Some groups are even offered in members’ homes. Plenty of opportunities are offered for members to learn and use technology. Members can also attend special events such as study days and summer schools. Open meetings are also held which allow friends and family to participate in U3A activities. National events allow members of different U3As throughout the UK to come together to socialise and share ideas about learning. The content or the ‘What and How’ of learning is not governed by a syllabus or programme of work. Members decide when, where and how they will learn by using their own skills and abilities. The content of learning develops organically as group membership changes and members’ skills and knowledge increase. No paid tutors on a regular timetable are allowed although ad hoc speakers may receive payment. Learning processes are member led. There is often a group convenor, but learning is encouraged across entire group membership. Resources for learning are provided by group membership and are supported by technology and the National Office. The sharing of expertise and learning together, particularly with regard to technology, increases the overall wellbeing of members. Value is placed on the contributions of all members, no matter how small, by discovering and encouraging the unique contribution each member can make. Support is available for group facilitators from their local U3A group and additional support is offered from National Office Subject Advisers, neighbouring U3As and special study days. Local U3As form partnerships with various organisations such as universities, museums, libraries, art galleries and heritage groups in their communities. Nationally UK U3A works in partnership with AIUTA. These partnerships are designed to improve the scope and quality of learning that can be offered to members. The achievements that can be observed as a result of U3A membership and participation include improved research, listening and speaking skills. There is also an increased use of technology by members and new knowledge and skills are acquired. New friendships are made, and loneliness is reduced. Lives are enriched, and members are encouraged to participate in society within their community. In short, we must be doing something right in the UK as U3A membership has climbed steadily over the last 20 years from 50,000 in 1996 to close to 350,000 in 2016. * * * 3 AIUTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE · Standards of Education among U3as and the Intergenerational Formatio · BARCELONA - 29th JUNE 2018 CV Melanie Nash She recently retired after working for many years in the Early Years sector in Surestart Children’s Centres in various part of England. Melanie was educated and grew up in London but has lived in many areas of England bringing up a family of eight children who are now living all over the UK, Netherlands and USA. Melanie studied with the Open University when she first started working with young children and gained an Advanced Diploma in Child Development. Since then she has gone on to gain a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (non-teaching). Melanie speaks fluent French and Spanish and is currently studying Mandarin Chinese as two of her five grandchildren are half-Chinese and are being brought up in the UK in a bi-lingual home. Since moving to Leicestershire last year with her husband she has joined the South Leicestershire U3A and participates in a French Conversation group and a Local History group. Melanie also volunteers at a local school where she helps children learn to read and has also become involved in her village neighbourhood planning group. Melanie visits Cambridge frequently where she owns property and is on the management board of the apartment block. She and her husband enjoy visiting National Trust properties of historical interest and also heritage railways. 4 AIUTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE · Standards of Education among U3as and the Intergenerational Formatio · BARCELONA - 29th JUNE 2018 Educational Standards of the University for The Elderly Xiong Fangjie Executive Vice President of the Shanghai University for The Elderly (China) Text As is known to all, China has a large population. Statistical Communique of the People’s Republic of China on the 2017 National Economic and Social Development, published on Feb. 2018, shows that the population of Mainland China had reached 1.39 billion by the end of 2017, 240 million of which are people over 60 years old, which accounts for 17.3% of the population of Mainland China. In 2035, the population of people over 60 will have reached 418 million and its proportion will be 29%. Thus, it is clear that China has become an aging country, and has entered a stage of rapid aging. The social background of rapid aging requires and urges the rise of elderly education in China.